Jake Hamm

The rattling of sticks could be heard across the field as the RIT Field Hockey Club started their cheer. The Tigers played against Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) on Saturday, October 3, the first sunny day after a week of rain. Having to play “one man down” because HWS only traveled with 10 players, RIT could not muster a win, resulting in a 3-2 loss.

The game started off smoothly, with the teams exchanging possession back and forth on the pitch. The players stayed low to the ground throughout the game, bending over their sticks to better control the ball.

Early on in the first 35-minute half, the RIT defense was not effectively clearing the ball out of the circle, or the half circle scoring zone which is 16 yards out from the goal lines. The Tigers would frantically hit the ball away from the goal, to the center of the field where another Hobart player would be standing. Because of this, HWS maintained possession near the RIT goal, which lead to a score early in the half. Not to be dismayed, RIT answered back within a couple of minutes with their first goal scored by Melissa Thone, a first year Chemistry major, tying the game at 1-1.

Most field hockey rules are similar to those in soccer, however, the two umpires called fouls more often than soccer game. Free hits were frequent in the game, where the umpire would call an unintentional foul, and the other team would hit the ball where the foul took place. RIT had trouble with these free hits on occasion, not utilizing the hit to propel the team forward. The Tigers’ fieldwork and dribbling proved to be their strongest point in game. A prime example was first year Bioinformatics student, Allison Roder, who played a tough midfield, with a few solid free hits and the agility to race back to protect the goal. She then fought through HWS’s forwards to get a pass off to a RIT forward to pressure the goal. The other midfielders and defenders did their best to push the play up the field as the eager HWS players challenged them.

Jake Hamm

Throughout the first half, HWS pressured the goalie, third year Biology student Kayla Weber. She made full use of her pads, which were just short of a complete set of ice hockey goalie pads. Weber deflected ball with her leg guards, kickers and, occasionally, her stick, which seemed to be dwarfed by the size of her padding. Despite her agility and fearlessness to go after the ball, HWS scored two goals towards the end of the first half, resulting in a score of 3-1.

The Tigers composed themselves in the beginning of the second half. Through shorter passes, they were able to put pressure on HWS’s side of the field. Maintaining possession through the second half, first year Hospitality student Emily Conners, scored after a string of quick passes. This boosted the Tigers’ morale as they continued to be on the offense. With a few more shots on goal, the game could have turned out differently, but the Tigers were usually deterred when going towards the goal.

As the time wound down, both teams were exhausted and were a bit sluggish on the pitch. The RIT Soccer club also distracted the players with their mix of jokes and cheers. After HWS’s time out, RIT tried to remain on the attack for the final minutes of the game, but were unable to tie. When the umpire called the game, both teams seemed relieved, although HWS seemed a bit more cheerful.

Jake Hamm

Club president, fourth year Imaging and Photographic Technology major, Jacqui Caci responded positively to the game, regardless of the score. “[The team] kept the energy up and the pressure on. [They just have to] keep working on the shots.” This was the club’s third game of the season, bringing their record to 1-2. Desirae Gilbert, fourth year Industrial and Systems Engineering student and club treasurer, noted that this was the club’s first season with home games. She has seen a change with home games. “More girls are interested [now that] there is less of a time commitment on the weekends.” The club was established five years ago and typically has five or six league games and a tournament each season.